Hannah Dave is the winningest coach in Newberry College women's field hockey history, entering the 2025 season just eight victories short of her 90th career victory with a mark of 82-56 (.594) and a league mark of 50-34 (.595)Â
Since taking over in 2017, Dave has built the Wolves program into a consistent winner and a force in the South Atlantic Conference.
Dave served as the program's interim head coach in the 2016 and 2017 spring semesters after joining the program as an assistant coach in 2015.
She has transformed a program that won just 13 games in its first four seasons to a South Atlantic Conference Championship in 2024 and a combined record of 68-20 over the past six seasons.
In 2024 the Wolves set school record for victories at 15-4 and tied a school record for most wins in league play with an 11-3 mark while capturing a share of the South Atlantic Conference regular season title.  Â
By winning the league title and clinching the #1 seed in the 2024 South Atlantic Conference Tournament, Dave was named South Atlantic Conference Coach of the Year.
The team also finished #9 in the final National Field Hockey Coaches Association national poll.
Senior Tamsin Bangert was named second team All-America by the National Field Hockey Coaches Association.
Bangert and senior midfielder Stembile Chikoore were named to the National Field Hockey Coaches Association 2024 Senior Team.
Bangert, Parker Keeler and Emma Westbrook were named first team All-SAC while Wibien Dahmen and Payton Keeler were named second team All-SAC.
Payton Keeler received the South Atlantic Conference Elite 23 award signifying the top student-athlete at the SAC Championship site.
Chikoore, Kayla Cooke, Emma Hulsmeyer, Dahmen and Payton Keeler were named CSC Academic All-District. Chikoore, Hulsmeyer, Parker and Payton Keeler, Ayanda Mangenah, and Emma Swatski were named National Field Hockey Coaches Association Division II Scholars of Distinction.
The 2023 team set school records with a 14-4 overall and 11-3 South Altantic Conference record.
That team began the season with a seven-game winning streak and into the national rankings at the end of August. The team remained in the Penn Monto/National Field Hockey Coaches Association rankings for seven of the nine regular season polls, sitting in the number 10 spot in the next to last poll and achieving a #9 ranking during the season.
The season began with a bang as the Wolves knocked off #8 Adelphi and #10 Pace on the road to vault them into the national rankings.
Newberry finished a program best second place in the South Atlantic Conference with an 11-3 record and advanced to the semifinals of the SAC Postseason Tournament. Â
The 2023 team set school records for most goals (61), assists (45) and points (167) in a season surpassing the school records set the previous season.
Parker Keeler was named the SAC Freshman of the Year. Keeler led all freshman in the conference in goals with 12 and 29 points on the regular season. Keeler was named conference and national offensive player of the week for the first week in October.
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Emma Westbrook, Tamsin Bangert, Parker Keeler, Payton Findlay, and Hailey Moore were all named first team all-conference. Marissa Plumer was named second team all-conference.
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Westbrook has won two statistical championships. Westbrook led the conference, averaging 1.24 goals per game and 2.71 points per game.
In 2022, the Wolves achieved a first ever national ranking, landing the #10 spot September 20th through October 4th.
That squad finished 11-8 overall and 7-5 in the South Atlantic Conference, for a second straight year hosted and won a SAC Postseason Tournament game and advanced to the SAC Postseason Tournament semifinals before falling to the top-seed in overtime.
Stembile Chikoore (Harare, Zimbabwe) led the Wolves as a member of the all-conference first team. Lieke Varenkamp (Middelburg, Netherlands), Payton Findlay (Cairns, Australia), and Tamsin Bangert were all named to the all-conference second team.
In 2021, Dave led the Wolves to their second 10-win season in three years as the Wolves concluded the season with a 10-8 record.
Newberry also reached the conference semifinals for the second consecutive season as they took down Mount Olive in the SACC Quarterfinals by a score of 4-2.
Dave also coached four All-Conference players in Yasmin De Meyer (First Team), Lily Drury (Second Team), Erin Robbins (Second Team), and Grace Lee (Second Team). Payton Findlay was also named to the SACC All-Tournament Team. The Wolves also made history as they claimed the first statistical championship in program history and the first for any Newberry Athletics team since Women's Soccer in the 1990s.
The Wolves led the country in Defensive Saves with 18 and were led by Erin Robbins who became the first Newberry female athlete to claim an individual statistical championship as she led the nation with eight defensive saves. Off the field, the team was named an NFHCAÂ National Academic Team for the sixth straight season, had 20 members named to the NFHCAÂ National Academic Squad for the third season in a row, and had seven members named NFHCA Scholars of Distinction, the most in program history.
In a shortened season moved to the spring due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Dave led the Wolves to a 5-3 record and 4-2 in South Atlantic Conference Carolinas play in 2020, the second straight year Newberry has recorded a winning record overall and in conference. In addition, after a 6-0 win at home on Senior Day against Mount Olive on March 2, the Wolves started the season 3-0, the best in school history. Dave led the Wolves to a third seed in the conference and recorded their first post-season win in school history, coming from behind late to beat Converse in double overtime by a score of 2-1 on March 30.
Dave had three Newberry players make All-Conference First Team and three players were selected as All-Conference Honorable Mention honorees, including forward Lily Drury winning the conference's Freshman of the Year award. Her ten goals was first in the conference. Drury also led Newberry in shots with 34, shots on goal with 20, points in a game (4) three times and goals in a game (2) three times. Drury also won both the SAC/CC Offensive Player of the Week and the NFHCA Division II Offensive Player of the Week after contributing four points in the 6-0 win over Mount Olive on Mar. 2 and was recognized as a NFHCA Scholar of Distinction. Â
Dave also saw senior forward Farai Kawonde nab a First Team All-SAC/CC distinction. Kawonde also won the SAC/CC Offensive Player of the Week as she led the Wolves to the 4-0 win over Converse on Feb. 10, garnering two points on two shots and two assists. The final All-Conference First Team selection for the Wolves was junior midfielder Kelli Marshall. She had two game-winning goals for the Wolves this season, tied for third in the conference.
There were other accolades bestowed on the Wolves in 2020. Freshman forward Payton Findlay was named to the South Atlantic Conference Carolinas Field Hockey All-Tournament Team a few days following the tournament. Findlay is the second player in school history to be named to the All-Tournament Team, joining teammate Chantel Gauthier in 2019.
Junior goalkeeper Grace Lee won both the SAC/CC Defensive Player of the Week and the NFHCA Division II National Defensive Player of the Week for posting three saves on nine shots and allowing only one goal in the 4-1 win over Belmont Abbey on Feb. 23. For her incredible year in the net, Lee earned All-Conference Honorable Mention and was recognized as a NFHCA Scholar of Distinction.
Freshman midfielder Caitlin Wassermann won All-Conference Honorable Mention. She also won both the SAC/CC Offensive Player of the Week and the NFHCA Division II National Offensive Player of the Week after scoring a goal and dishing out two assists in the 4-1 win over Belmont-Abbey on Feb. 23.
Dave was named the 2019 Division II Field Hockey Coach of the Year by Synapse Sports after leading the Wolves to their most wins (13) and most conference wins (nine) in program history. She became Newberry's first National Coach of the Year recipient since 1977.
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In 2019, Dave guided Newberry to the second seed in the South Atlantic Conference Carolinas Championship. The season was highlighted by a win against 10th-ranked Indiana University of Pennsylvania on the road. The Wolves also earned victories against Limestone and Lindenwood for the first time in program history. Newberry set a school record for consecutive wins (four), which they did on three separate occasions during the 2019 season. Dave had a school-record six student-athletes earn all-conference honors, including three named to the first team.
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Dave developed one the program's first stars, forward Brady Keeler, who finished as one of the most decorated players in Newberry history. Keeler concluded her collegiate career with the most goals (30) and points (78) in program history while finishing second in assists (18). As a senior in 2019, she was a First Team All-SAC choice after ranking in the top 20 nationally in assists, points, goals and goals per-game. Keeler also earned Second Team All-America recognition from Synapse Sports and was voted the league’s Offensive Player of the Week twice in 2019. She was named an alternate for the Victory Sports Tours/National Field Hockey Coaches Association Division II Senior Game, which features the top senior student-athletes from across the nation.
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In 2018, Dave helped Newberry transition to the South Atlantic Conference from the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference, where the Wolves had been a conference member since the program’s inception in 2013. Newberry finished with an 8-10 record (3-7 in the conference) in their first season in the SAC. The eight wins were then the most in school history. Three Wolves earned all-conference recognition, including senior goalkeeper Allison Davis, who was named the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year as well as a First Team All-SAC choice. Davis led the conference in saves (97) and save percentage (.752) while registering the most single-season shutouts (four) by a goalkeeper in program history.
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In her first season as head coach, Dave guided Newberry to a 6-14 record (3-7 in the conference) and the fourth seed in 2017 ECAC Division II Field Hockey Tournament. For the first time in program history, Newberry won their season opener and conference opener. Three student-athletes earned all-conference recognition, including one to the first team and two to the second team.
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Dave has helped foster an environment for her student-athletes that promotes success on and off the field. For four consecutive seasons (2016-19), Newberry earned the Zag Field Hockey/NFHCA Division II National Academic Team Award from the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA). The award recognizes programs that earned a team grade-point average of 3.0 or higher during the fall semester of the school year. The Wolves field hockey team also had 19 student-athletes named to the 2019 Zag Field Hockey/NFHCA Division II National Academic Squad for the 2019 season.
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In the summer of 2019, Dave represented Team USA and served as an assistant coach at the European Maccabi Games, an Olympic-style Jewish sporting event. She assisted with the adult field hockey team (ages 18-35) and traveled to Budapest, Hungary to compete against teams of Jewish athletes from other countries where they placed 3rd overall.
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Prior to Newberry, Dave was the assistant coach at her alma mater, Asheville (N.C.) High School. She was also a field hockey trainer at the YMCA of Western North Carolina. Dave previously worked in club field hockey in North Carolina, assisting in coaching duties for the North Carolina TarDevils indoor program and spending time running outdoor clinics and camps.
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As a player, Dave helped start the field hockey program at Limestone College, where she was a four-year starter (2009-2012) at defender. She helped Limestone win 29 games, including a winning record by the program’s third year. Her junior year saw the Saints collect their first-ever win over a ranked opponent, No. 10 Adelphi, and over Division I Liberty in back-to-back games. It helped mark Limestone's ascension to a nationally ranked defense.
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In her junior and senior seasons, Limestone ranked fifth and fourth, respectively, in goals against average despite ranking in the bottom six nationally in saves per game, a testament to the Saints' defensive prowess.
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Dave was a four-year starter at Asheville (N.C.) High School, where she helped lead her team to four conference championships, three regional championships and two state runner-up finishes. She was the 2008 Defensive Player of the Year and was named all-state and all-region as a sophomore and a junior. Dave also earned all-conference recognition three times.
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A native of Asheville, N.C., Dave graduated from Limestone with a degree in criminal justice. Her younger sister, Graycen, was a four-year letter winner (2014-17) as a forward on the Lindenwood field hockey team.
Player Awards
2024Â
Emma Westbrook (Junior)- First Team All-SAC
Tamsin Bangert (Senior) - First Team All-SACÂ
Parker Keeler (Sophomore) -Â First Team All-SACÂ
Payton Keeler (Sophomore) -  Second Team All-SAC
Wibien Dahmen (Sophomore)
- Second Team All-SAC
2023
Parker Keeler (Freshman) - SAC Freshman of the Year
 Emma Westbrook (Sophomore ) All-SAC First Team
Tamsin Bangert (Junior) - All-SAC First Team
Parker Keeler (Freshman) -Â All-SAC First Team
Payton Findlay (Senior) -Â All-SAC First TeamÂ
Hailey Moore were all named first team all-conference.Â
Marissa Plumer (Senior) -  All-SAC Second Team
2022
Stembile Chikoore (Sophomore) - All-SAC First Team
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Lieke Varenkamp (Sophomore) - All-SAC Second Team
Payton Findlay (Junior) - All-SAC Second Team
Tamsin Bangert (Sophomore) - All-SAC Second Team
2021 (9)
Team: NCAA DII Statistical Champions (Defensive Saves - 18)
Forward Yasmin De Meyer (Freshman) - All-SACC First Team
Forward Lily Drury (Sophomore) - All-SACC Second Team
Defender Erin Robbins (Senior) - All-SACC Second Team, SACC Defensive Player of the Week, DII Statistical Champion (Defensive Saves - 8)
Goalkeeper Grace Lee (Senior) - All-SACC Second Team
Forward Carly Ellis - SACC Offensive Player of the Week
Forward Payton Findlay - All-Tournament Team
2020 (12)
Forward Lily Drury (Freshman) - SAC Offensive Player of the Week, SAC Freshman of the Year, First Team All-SAC
Forward Payton Findlay (Freshman) - All-Tournament TeamÂ
Forward Farai Kawonde (Senior) - SAC Offensive Player of the Week, First Team All-SAC
Goalkeeper Grace Lee (Junior) - SAC Defensive Player of the Week, Honorable Mention All-SAC
Midfielder Kelli Marshall (Junior) - First Team All-SAC
Defender Hailey Moore (Freshman) -Â Honorable Mention All-SAC
Midfielder Caitlin Wassermann (Freshman) - SAC Offensive Player of the Week, Honorable Mention All-SAC
2019 (6)
Forward Brady Keeler (Senior) – First Team All-SAC, Offensive Player of the Week (2)
Forward Farai Kawonde (Junior) – First Team All-SAC
Forward Kristyna Oyola (Senior) – First Team All-SAC, Offensive Player of the Week
Midfielder Chantel Gauthier (Junior) – Honorable Mention All-SAC, All-Tournament Team
Defender Elise Utne (Senior) – Honorable Mention All-SAC
Goalkeeper Charlotte Bragard – Honorable Mention All-SAC
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2018 (3)
Goalkeeper Allison Davis (Senior) – First Team All-SAC, SAC Defensive Player of the Year
Midfielder Farai Kawonde (Sophomore) – First Team All-SAC
Forward Brady Keeler (Junior) – Honorable Mention All-SAC
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2017 (3)
Forward Brady Keeler (Sophomore) – First Team All-ECAC, 2017 Division II Field Hockey All-ECAC Team Honorable Mention
Defender Dominique Milian (Freshman) – Second Team All-ECAC
Midfielder Farai Kawonde (Freshman) – Second Team All-ECAC
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